Long concerned about visiting reinforced Rainbow Warriors

November 16, 2013

A distracting trip and an opponent that - though winless - has bolstered its offense and plays better at home has San Diego State coach Rocky Long saying he's anxious.

Long's team, one win away from bowl eligibility, will visit Aloha Stadium in Honolulu today for a game against the University of Hawaii.

"I am concerned about two things," Long said earlier this week on the Aztecs' website. "I'm concerned about going to Hawaii because that's a long trip. The atmosphere when you get there is not conducive for a football team to get excited about playing football. It's conducive to getting excited about being on vacation. That's number one. Number two: Hawaii plays much better at home. The last three home games against San Jose, Fresno and Colorado State have all been very close games."

Article Photos

Rocky Long has coached San Diego State to five wins in its last six games.AP photo

Iosefa

The Rainbow Warriors lost those games by an average of 7.3 points.

Last week, UH (0-9, 0-6 Mountain West Conference) lost 42-28 at Navy. In that game, the Rainbow Warriors' Joey Iosefa ran for 191 yards and a touchdown in his first major action of the season - he had been sidelined by a fractured foot.

"He was leaving Navy guys strewn all over the field," Long said. "He'd make one miss and he'd run through three of them and there were a lot of guys still lying there after he was still running."

Fact Box

College Football on TV

Today

7 a.m.-Kentucky at Vanderbilt, KFVE

7 a.m.-Ohio St. at Illinois, ESPN

7 a.m.-Indiana at Wisconsin, ESPN2

7 a.m.-Troy at Mississippi, ESPNU

7 a.m.-Cincinnati at Rutgers, ESPNN

7 a.m.-West Virginia at Kansas, FSW

7 a.m.-Pennsylvania at Harvard, NBCSN

7 a.m.-Purdue at Penn St., BTN

7 a.m.-Iowa St. at Oklahoma, FS1

7:30 a.m.-N.C. State at Boston College, FSWP

7:30 a.m.-Rhode Island at Maine, FCSP

8 a.m.-Columbia at Cornell, FCSA

9 a.m.-Washington St. at Arizona, PAC12

10 a.m.-Idaho St. at BYU, BYUTV

10:30 a.m.-Michigan St. at Nebraska, ABC

10:30 a.m.-Georgia at Auburn, CBS

10:30 a.m.-Oklahoma St. at Texas, FOX

10:30 a.m.-Syracuse at Florida St., ESPN2

10:30 a.m.-Miami at Duke, ESPNU

10:30 a.m.-TCU at Kansas St., FSW

10:30 a.m.-S. Alabama at Navy, CBSSN

10:30 a.m.-Michigan at Northwestern, BTN

11 a.m.-Utah at Oregon, FS1

12:30 p.m.-California at Colorado, PAC12

1 p.m.-N. Colorado at N. Arizona, FCSP

2 p.m.-Baylor vs. Texas Tech, FOX

2 p.m.-Florida at South Carolina, ESPN2,

2 p.m.-Houston at Louisville, ESPNU

2 p.m.-Louisiana Tech at Rice, CBSSN

2:45 p.m.-Alabama at Mississippi St., ESPN

3 p.m.-Stanford at Southern Cal, ABC

4:30 p.m.-Oregon St. at Arizona St., PAC12

5:15 p.m.-Wyoming at Boise St., ESPN2

5:30 p.m.-San Jose St. at Nevada, ESPNU

5:30 p.m.-San Diego St. at Hawaii, CBSSN

Hawaii has not started a season with nine consecutive losses since 1998, when the team finished 0-12.

San Diego State (5-4, 4-1) won 34-30 at San Jose State last week for its fifth victory in six games. The Aztecs trailed at halftime in three of those contests, including the win over the Spartans.

"They stay in it at home so we have to come out there and we have to score early," San Diego State tight end Adam Roberts said of UH. "We can't come out and struggle like we have in previous away games."